Ask HN: printed presentation on a 10 minutes 1-on-1 pitch session? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: printed presentation on a 10 minutes 1-on-1 pitch session?

2 pointsyrashk3 comments

I have an argument with a friend of mine. Imagine there will be a 10 minute pitching opportunity, held in a format of a 1-on-1 meeting (in a meeting room or something like that). There is just one person representing investor and one person representing a startup company.

Investor's representative is familiar with the target market.

He will have this pitch session within a larger 1.5 hrs session of pitches (10 minutes each).

My point of view is that it does not make much sense to prepare and print a 3-4 pages presentation, but rather use time to communicate without having to turn pages (either yourself or having investor's representative to turn them) and lose eye contact with the guy whenever he looks down into the presentation; and obviously leave a one page exec summary behind.

His point is that it makes sense to attach a 3-4 pages presentation to the executive summary and generally make him see it so he'll kinda think "wow this guy is well prepared" and it will make him remember you better.

What do you think, who's right? :)

Thanks!

I'd rather have a 10 pages presentation for this meeting, without any descriptions of basic things in the problem area, of course, but with a skeleton of my speech. Just chatting is the good thing, especially when it takes place in a pub, but I would like to left alt least something tangible for an investor that will help him (or her) to ensure easy returning to the subject of conversation in future. Without having such skeleton it would be quite easy to forget all we're talking about. There's nothing about how to create impression about "well prepared guys", really, it's just a practical behavior.

In reality you would never make an eye contact 100% of the conversation time. I've recently read in one non-verbal behavior book, that people tend too look somewhere else when talking to others and making a point. This does not indicate they're not interested, on the contrary - this shows they are trying to concentrate. So, unless you have a plan which involves you speaking all of the time forcing the other to look you in the eye, chances are the person representing investor would make a brief look at all the pages while asking you another question.

Well if you are not expecting investor to take money out of his pocket (or hat) after that pitch you surely have to prepare (a) executive summary 1-2 pages (b) slides/screenshots 1 page(can be four colorful slides on it) just because this guy might want to share something with other decision makers. Of course if you dont think that after your pitch will suddenly became beter advocate for your project than yourself ))

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